‘No one should be favoured in UDA grassroots elections’ – Muthama
Former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party chairperson Johnson Muthama says the party has put in place good structures to conduct free, fair and transparent grassroots elections next month.
In a statement after meeting UDA regional managers from Nairobi, Narok, Kajiado, Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot and Ukambani, Muthama said that no one will be favoured in the forthcoming elections.
"This afternoon (Thursday, November 2, 2023) I met UDA regional managers from Nairobi, Narok, Kajiado, Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot and Ukambani who paid me a courtesy call in my private office and deliberated on how best to strengthen the party as they embark on their new roles in the party which I played a key role in its formation," Muthama stated.
"The party has put in place good structures to conduct free, fair and transparent grassroots elections next month and to ensure that the party is embraced by everyone, no one should be favoured because our focus still remains the same to be like Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) of Tanzania and African National Congress (ANC)."
Muthama, who also serves as a Commissioner of the Parliamentary Service Commission, warned that party officials should consult elected leaders before making any decisions.
"Party officials must always consult elected leaders in their regions before making any decision so as to avoid infighting," he said.
Muthama on tribal affiliations
The ruling UDA party is set to hold its nationwide grassroots elections from December 9, 2023.
"I reminded them that UDA is tribal less and it will serve every corner of this country and should always be the focus of each party official," he added.
In the latest move, UDA has allowed parastatal board chairpersons and members for party positions, against an advisory by Attorney General Justin Muturi.
In a recent memo, UDA Secretary General Cleopas Malala said that the move had been informed by a High Court decision that board members of state corporations are not state employees.
The position is informed by the decision of the High Court that members of state corporations are not employees who draw from the exchequer and are therefore not state officials to warrant their disassociation from political parties," Malala stated in the memo.
Applicants seeking elective positions in the party have until November 17 to register their interest officially, a deadline which has been moved from November 2, 2023.
